Saturday, November 14, 2015

November 14, 2015 - IRELAND - Several Glengormley homeowners are facing huge repair bills after what
has been described as a "mini tornado" ripped through the Ballyhenry
area on Thursday afternoon (November 12).

More than half a dozen houses in Ballyhenry Avenue and neighbouring
Dorchester Crescent were badly damaged in the freak weather event, which
local resident Gavin Robinson described as "a mini tornado."

Trees were blown over, garden fences were blown down and ridge tiles and
slates were ripped off the roofs of a number of properties.

Despite the flying roof tiles and other debris, local people say no-one was injured during the incident.

Repair work is under way in the area, but the cost of fixing some of the hardest-hit homes could run to thousands of pounds. - Newtown Abbey Times.

November 14, 2015 - SWAZILAND - It appears that there might be hope for the much anticipated rainfall as
Nhlangano and surrounding areas experienced a heavy downpour in the
afternoon yesterday which lasted approximately 20 minutes.

The downside of it is that the rain was accompanied by strong
winds and huge hailstones, which caused damage to property and
vegetation.

The huge hailstones caused damage on rooftops, leaving gaping holes
resulting in rain water leaking into buildings. It also shattered
windows on buildings and motor vehicles.

Nhlangano residents ran helter-skelter as they searched for cover while motorists searched for safe places to park.

In some of the streets in the small southern town, vegetation,
especially tree branches, were broken as a result of the strong wind.

Showers started pouring at around 3pm resulting in some shops and houses
being flooded with water as the heavy downpour continued.

There was a lot of clearing to do after the rain.

In one of the shops at Zam Zam Mall, Silomoes Corporation, which is an internet cafe, the storm left untold damage.

Siphiwe Dube, who works of the internet cafe, said the storm caught them by complete surprise. She
said it was a normal day and customers were going about their normal
business when all of a sudden, they heard the sound of heavy hailstones
hitting the rooftop, startling everyone in the process.

Dube, in an interview last night, said while they tried to make sense of what was happening, the hailstones ripped the ceiling apart and rain began to pour in.

According to dube, people outside in the streets were seen rushing to safety to escape injury.

She said they tried to remove the computers and photocopying machines to where they thought the rainwater would not reach.

"We were caught by surprise and as I speak (at 8:30pm) there is still a
lot of water in the shop. I don't know if the computers and the other
machines will function. We rushed to disconnect the cables when the
water level rose inside the shop in fear of being electrocuted," she
said. - Times of Swaziland.

November 14, 2015 - VATICAN CITY - The acts of terrorism which took place in Paris Friday night are the
latest part in what Pope Francis has called a “piecemeal World War III,”
describing the attacks as “inhuman.”

Speaking in response to the Nov. 13 attacks, which are the deadliest
acts of violence the city has seen since the World War II, the Pope said
he is “moved and pained” by what happened, and expressed his closeness
to those affected by the tragedy.

“I am close to the people of France, to the families of the victims, and I am praying for all of them,” he said.

“These things are hard to understand,” he said, adding that he “loves France very much.”

At least 128 people are confirmed dead and more than 180 wounded in
terrorist attacks which targeted bars, restaurants, a concert hall, and a
football stadium in the heart of Paris on Nov. 13. Around 80 people are
listed in critical condition, according to the BBC.

The deadliest attack came when militants overtook the Bataclan concert
hall, in which at least 82 people were killed, after the terrorists had
seized dozens of hostages.

Eyewitnesses reported hearing the terrorists cry out “Allahu Akbar!” –
Arabic for “God is Great!” The terrorists carried out the siege with
suicide bombs and semi-automatic weapons. Police have said all eight
attackers are dead.

In the wake of the attacks, Paris archbishop Cardinal André Vingt-Trois
in a Nov. 14 statement appealed for the grace to be “artisans of peace.”
He stressed that “we must never despair of peace if we are to build
justice.

“Faced with the violence of men,” he said, “we can receive the grace of
a steadfast heart without hate.” The French prelate called for people
to not give in to panic or hatred.

“This morning I pray and I invite the Catholics of Paris to pray for
those who were killed yesterday and for their families,” Cardinal André
Vingt-Trois continued. He also called for prayers for the injured, those
working to help those affected by the crisis, and the nation's leaders
in order that they “remain together in unity and peace of heart.”

"We ask for the grace to be artisans of peace. We must never despair of peace, if you justice," he said.

The BBC reports that French president Francois Hollande has called the attacks “an act of war” by ISIS.

The French president declared a nationwide state of emergency soon after
the rampage began and closed the country's borders. Parisians were
urged to stay in doors.

This is the second and deadlier of two sieges against Paris by Islamic terrorists in 2015. 12 people were killed on Jan. 7 when Islamic terrorists stormed the headquarters of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.Updated: Nov. 14, 2015 at 3:30pm
Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, sent a telegram to
Cardinal Vingt-Trois on behalf of Pope Francis, assuring the archbishop
of Paris of his prayers for those affected by “horrific terrorist
attacks.”

“The Holy Father vigorously condemns violence, which cannot solve
anything,” the telegram reads, according to Vatican Radio's translation
of the message which was originally written in French.

“He asks God to inspire thoughts of peace and solidarity in all and to
impart on families in this trial and on all of the French people, the
abundance of His Blessings.”

The telegram by saying the Pope prays that God might “welcome the
victims into the peace of His light and bring comfort and hope to the
injured and their families,” and assured his “spiritual closeness” to
the French people. - CNA.

Ocean shores specialist Calum Stevenson said the appearance of a whale of this scale was rare in the area.
Calum Stevenson/Oregon Parks and Recreation Dept

November 14, 2015 - OREGON, UNITED STATES - The 78-foot long blue whale that washed up on the Oregon Coast is the first in more than a century,
researchers from the Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute
said… It’s still unclear how the whale died, but [Bruce Mate from the
OSU Marine Mammal Institute] said one clue is it’s size: it weighed less
than 100 tons, which is more typical for blue whales. “It eats things
that are no longer than 2 inches long: krill. And that’s why this animal is probably on the beach because that’s been in short supply last summer and again this summer,” Mate said. (emphasis added), Nov 9, 2015 - KVAL.

The massive marine mammal is very rare
in Oregon, a state natural resources specialist said. “We don’t usually
see blue whales this close in,” said Calum Stevenson, ocean shores
specialist with the state Parks and Recreation Department. “They are not even on our radar for Whale Watch because they are so uncommon… The blubber layer was emaciated — 4 inches or less,” compared with up to 12 inches in a healthy blue whale, Stevenson said. Nov 7, 2015 - The Register-Guard.

Volunteer workers are stripping the carcass to preserve the skeleton. Oregon Parks and Recreation Dept

Volunteers work to strip blubber, meat and muscle from the carcass of a blue whale that washed ashore north of Gold Beach.
Bruce Mate/Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University

A rare blue whale washed up along the Oregon coast… 100
tons and measuring 78 feet long… Blue whales are the largest animals to
inhabit the Earth and are considered an endangered species… The
appearance of a whale of this size is unprecedented in the area… Nov 8, 2015 - NY Daily News.

Bruce Mate, who serves as marine mammal director at Oregon
State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center, said this is the first time he’s seen a blue whale on Oregon beaches. He’s been doing research in the state since 1968… Mate said the environment may have also played a role… Mate described the whale as emaciated and said it had a “very sick blubber layer.” Nov 5, 2015 - OPB.

Blue whales generally stay away from the coast, making the event extremely rare.
They feed solely on krill, Bruce Mate, the marine mammal director at
Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center, tells KOIN. “I think we are going to see more of this,” he says. Most of the whales Mate has been tracking for the past two years have not been doing well. Nov 6, 2015 - KOIN.

This specimen was in rough shape and may have been malnourished [with] pitifully thin blubber. Nov 9, 2015 - 9 News.

WATCH: Rare blue whale washed up along the Oregon coast.

“The very first blue whale to wash up on the Oregon coast… Animal experts say they are still looking into the cause of death… they do say many sea creatures are being affected by weather patterns rights now… [it] is killing off the krill population, which is what these animals eat.” Nov 6, 2015 - KDRV transcript.

The organs are being removed by Mate’s team and taken back to the lab in Newport to be studied… “The whale was very emaciated
when it washed up” [Calum Stevenson of Oregon Parks and Recreation]
said. “We don’t know what killed it — warming water from El Nino, disease, who knows.” Nov 10, 2015 - Curry Coastal Pilot.

November 14, 2015 - LAKE ERIE, UNITED STATES - A natural disaster of epic proportions has been in-progress for about
three hours so far at Lake Erie and there's no sign of it stopping
anytime soon. The storm that caused spectacular waves on Lake Michigan and some minor
lakeshore flooding also sent Lake Erie's water listing like a boat.

Data from the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory shows the
water level at Buffalo increased about 7 1/2 feet from 5 a.m. Thursday,
Nov. 12 to 3 p.m. the same day.

Dave Mercer took video of Lake Erie just south of Buffalo on Wednesday, Nov. 12 (Courtesy: Dave Mercer)

A rare wind-driven "Seiche" is taking place, wherein the
wind is so fierce and sustained, it is blowing the entire body of
lake water from west-to-east causing the natural sea level at the west
end of Lake Erie to DROP 6 feet and the natural sea level at the east
end to rise more than 7 feet!

A map of Lake Erie (Courtesy: Google Maps)

Massive flooding is now taking place at the east end of Lake Erie,
with inundating amounts of water flowing out of the lake onto nearby
shore roads, causing those roads to become impassable. The seiche is
already more than 7 feet tall and it continues to rise, spelling doom
for many local residents, and perhaps entire sections of the city of
Buffalo, New York. The graphics below explain how a Seiche occurs:

A graphic showing how a seiche works (Courtesy: NOAA Great Lakes Research Laboratory)

In the Twitter video below, Dave Mercer posted this action of Lake Erie just south of Buffalo from Thursday's storm:

Water charts showing the LIVE water levels at both ends of Lake Erie tell the story quite graphically.

At Toledo, Ohio on the western shore of Lake Erie where the water level dropped by more than 6 feet suddenly today:

A graphic showing water and wind levels at Toledo (Courtesy: NOAA)

At Buffalo, NY, hundreds of miles to the east, the water level has
suddenly risen by more than SEVEN FEET today, and continues to rise!

A graphic showing water and wind levels at Buffalo (Courtesy: NOAA)

No one knows how long this wind-driven water will continue to rise, but
Buffalo, NY and its surrounding towns could see vast portions of their
communities literally wiped out -- without any warning -- within hours
from now. - SS95 | MLIVE.